Back in the Germany national team after more than a year, Niclas Füllkrug discussed Jürgen Klopp’s impact on players including Florian Wirtz and his own role at a press conference on Tuesday.
Füllkrug’s conversations with Klopp
Füllkrug said his conversations with Klopp had pleasantly surprised him, adding that Klopp has “an eye for matches and other things that might not even fall within his remit right now”.
Before the squad announcement last Thursday, Klopp apparently showed detailed knowledge of Werder Bremen’s playing style and working methods in a conversation with Füllkrug. Füllkrug said Klopp knew “a lot about the things” “we do in Bremen, which I give him a lot of credit for. As national coach, you can’t watch every match for 90 minutes, but he knew quite a bit and had picked up on things that pleasantly surprised me, because I simply don’t expect that from a national coach”.
Füllkrug on Klopp and Wirtz
In Füllkrug’s view, Klopp’s approach has already helped other national-team players, including Wirtz. Füllkrug said of Klopp: “He has a particular insight into England and can assess situations there”.
Regarding Wirtz, Füllkrug said: “I read a statistic about Florian Wirtz before and after his selection for the large squad, in other words before he worked with Jürgen Klopp for the first time and afterwards”. He added: “You get the feeling that someone gave him a helping hand and lent him an ear. It simply helps when you can talk to someone who knows the situation and the place. Someone who understands what it’s like there”.
Wirtz faced repeated heavy criticism from English TV pundits such as Jamie Carragher at Liverpool because, even in his second season at Anfield, he was falling well short of the goal contributions expected of him. He had one assist in six competitive matches before Klopp first took him under his wing as part of the XXL squad in September. Since returning from the first Germany training camp of the Klopp era, where he produced a fantastic performance against Serbia in particular, Wirtz has recorded two goals and four assists.
Why Klopp selected Füllkrug
Füllkrug referred to Klopp’s past at Liverpool, saying: “It’s helpful that he has such a broad view of the whole picture”. In selecting Füllkrug, Klopp also kept that view of the whole picture. Given Füllkrug’s age, the decision does not necessarily fit the national team’s rebuilding project for Euro 2028, but his nine goals in nine Bundesliga matches made his selection unavoidable on sporting grounds.
Klopp said: “Sometimes, form outweighs everything else.” He said Füllkrug had “made his case with all kinds of goals” and stressed: “Nearly all of them were spectacular.”
Füllkrug set for substitute role
Despite Klopp’s praise, the 33-year-old Füllkrug will have to settle for a substitute role behind Kai Havertz in the final Nations League group matches, against Serbia in Serbia on Friday and the Netherlands in Berlin on Monday.
Regarding his expected substitute role, Füllkrug said: “I’m completely relaxed about that”. He added: “Kai is a very special footballer.” Füllkrug also said there is no disadvantage to having players “who can do extraordinary things from the bench”.
